Windows Server 2003 R2 Web Platform: Frequently Asked Questions

The Web Application Platform is a complete solution for extending business infrastructure over the Web. The platform is implemented with technologies offered in Windows Server 2003 R2, including Windows SharePoint Services, .NET Framework 2.0, Internet Information Services 6.0, and 64-bit support. First, Windows SharePoint Services delivers a collaboration solution that extends connections between employees, partners, and clients across and beyond the firewall. The .NET Framework 2.0 improves ASP.NET 2.0 and thus enables rich application scenarios that are easy to develop and manage at a lower cost. These solutions are supported on Internet Information Services 6.0, a security-enhanced, high-performance Web server that is more scalable and easier to administer due to 64-bit support and Service Pack 1 included in Windows Server 2003 R2.

There are three main ways that supporting your business infrastructure with the Web Application Platform can lower costs. First, the Web Application Platform augments productivity by making collaboration more efficient and by accelerating development and deployment of applications. Second, new tools and functionality make applications and services simple to manage. Finally, by developing and running high-performance solutions on a more scalable Web server, your organization does more with less information technology (IT) infrastructure.

The latest .NET Framework includes 45 new controls in addition to new APIs that assist fast development of rich, reliable, high-performing solutions. Some of the enhancements these future Web applications will include are:

The Web server in Windows Server 2003 R2 is still IIS 6.0, originally released in 2003. However, Service Pack 1 and 64-bit support—two technologies now standard to Windows Server 2003 R2—offer real enhancements. Service Pack 1 adds to IIS 6.0 the Security Configuration Wizard, a GUI-based tool that walks administrators through security lockdown best practices, as well as features such as Event Tracing for Windows, Metabase Auditing, and WC3 Centralized Logging, which all help simplify debugging faulty applications and improper configurations. Furthermore, when IIS 6.0 is run on a 64-bit processor, it now boasts serious performance enhancements, such as supporting twice as many connections and running on much less processor resources. Lastly, 32-bit applications on 64-bit processing receive twice the virtual memory previously allotted, which reduces process recycling that, in turn, improves overall performance and reliability of these applications.

Windows SharePoint Services will now support 64-bit emulation mode for customers seeking to use 64-bit environments.

WOW 64 is "Windows on Windows" technology for running 32-bit applications on a 64-bit operating system. WOW 64 acts as a translation layer between 32-bit applications and Windows, but with minimal impact on performance.

More information can be found in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article posted in this location, http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA100806971033.aspx.

There is a host of new features and updates, including: